New Law Will Soon Introduce Traffic Tolls in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is getting its own version of Salik with traffic toll fees being introduced soon

Posted on

5 February 2018

|Last updated on 5 February 2018

Motorists in Abu Dhabi will soon be introduced to traffic tolls after a new law was issued by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday, February 5th, 2018. According to Gulf News, the new traffic tolls are being implemented to help ease traffic on certain roads.

Law no. 17 of 2017 stipulates that the Department of Transport will be responsible for collecting the tariff from vehicle owners that pass through the tolled areas. They are however yet to determine how the fees will be collected.

The Department of Transportation will also have to decide which areas to implement the new tolling system in, how much it will cost and during what times it will be operational.

According to the new law, normal motorists and taxis will have to pay the toll fees but ambulances, the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, public buses and motorcycles will be exempt from paying.

Salik was first introduced in Dubai in 2007 and even though residents might not have been too pleased about it, they eventually adapted to the new system with some taking the main roads which are faster and others preferring to avoid the tolled routes altogether. We do, however, urge Abu Dhabi residents to rather stick to paying the toll charges if they decide to use these roads. Avoiding to pay the fees can land you with a fine of up to AED 10,000.

Similarly to Salik, vehicle owners will have to register their car before passing through the toll gates. It is illegal to obscure your licence disk in an attempt to avoid paying toll fees. Luckily there will be alternative routes available for those who do not want to pay the toll gate charges.